NFL gets it wrong on Harbaugh-Schwartz incident

The NFL moved swiftly to resolve the Harbaugh-Schwartz fracas at Ford Field. The outcome suggests that the league wanted to swiftly sweep it all under the rug.

The dominant story from Sunday’s Week Six games would have gotten only bigger if the NFL had fined the coach of the 49ers or the coach of the Lions, or both, after Sunday’s embarrassing pushing-and-shoving incident. And so the league, more concerned about the short-term P.R. hit than bigger picture concepts of fairness, consistency, and most importantly the example set for all persons associated with football at every level, opted to wag a finger at the two men, extract a promise to behave going forward, and issue a warning that any further incidents will trigger punishment.

Whether or not an fists were swung shouldn’t matter. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told PFT on Sunday that a key issue will be whether and to what extent there was physical contact. Surely, there was, from both coaches.

For players, fines have been imposed for actual fights, before or during games. But players also get routinely fined for far less problematic conduct, like sending out tweets from the locker room or not wearing the right socks or playing the game too aggressively or accidentally grabbing someone’s facemask or celebrating in a way that the league deems inappropriate. How can the league fine players for that kind of behavior and not find a pair of Jims who were acting more like Hacksaw Jim Duggan?

Sunday’s incident occurred because the one on-field member of the 49ers who should be able to control his emotions failed, and he celebrated in a way that Jim Schwartz deemed inappropriate. Schwartz was right, and then he was wrong to chase Harbaugh down, shove him, and spark a full-blown brouhaha with a clumsy chase of Harbaugh, which at one point looked like it should have been accompanied by shouts of, “Hold me back! Hold me back!”

The NFL supposedly has sufficient concern regarding the sanctity of the shield that it will fine and suspend players who get in trouble on their own time. Currently, the league is trying to suspend Bengals running back Cedric Benson four games for something that happened at a time when the league had locked him out. To give that desire to protect the league’s image any credibility, the league’s only option was to punish the two coaches.

The decision to turn the page by not issuing any discipline sends a troubling message to the league’s players. Coaches are supposed to be held to a higher standard. In this case, they weren’t.

Meanwhile, more than a few players inevitably will be informed this week that they have been fined for actions that pale in comparison to the spectacle that Harbaugh and Schwartz created on Sunday.

Players have shoving matches on the field after nearly every single snap. That’s all this equated to. I WANT to see my coach be annoyed after a loss. No harm done = no fine. Nice to see the NFL not fine someone for a change!

And so the league, more concerned about the short-term P.R. hit than bigger picture concepts of fairness, consistency, and most importantly…
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Sorry boys…you can’t use “NFL” and “consistency” in the same sentence…it doesn’t exist!

Pretty disingenuous for Schwartz to whine about an “obscenity” after taunting Harbaugh for not knowing he couldn’t challenge the play he wanted reviewed and telling him back in March there’s no way he could be successful if there was a lockout…

it’s only monday man just give them time they had to deal with this first.

as far as the NFL getting it wrong. i strongly disagree. harbough was acting in the heat of the moment. he got a little excited and tapped schwartz a little too hard. we all talk about how much the NFL has gone soft but then we’re concerned when a coach gets a little more excited than he should have. give me a break PFT and shut the f up.

Players don’t get fined for shoving either, so what do you think is about not fining coaches for something that players don’t get fined for either?

If either coach had tweeted during the game they would have been fined. If they had worn unapproved clothing they would have been fined. If they were to grab a ball carrier’s facemask they’d get fined.

You are one of the few people trying to turn this into more than it really is.

Fairness isn’t when you fine one group for something the other groups don’t get fined for. I think the players would agree.

So dramatic…some decent points, but it isn’t as big of a deal as you and your media cohorts made it out to be all day yesterday and today.

If you are worried about kids, be more worried about parents who didn’t use it as an opportunity to show them how adults shouldn’t act but sometimes do.
Kids are learning about porn as soon as they can move a mouse and have the urge; they can handle this Flo.

I can’t see fining Harbaugh – at most he’s guilty only of a too-vigorous handshake and a slap on the back. Schwartz on the other hand chose to run donw the field, bump into Harbaugh and generally incite the fracas. Without Schwartz’ actions this is a non-event.

Did Harbaugh act like an ass? Perhaps. But Schwartz was way, way out of line to escalate it the way he chose to do. If there were any fines, they should have been Schwartz’s alone.

People are just upset because the 49ers laid out the blueprint for how to beat the Lions. Smash it down their throat on the ground and take MEGATRON out his game, which is going deep and catching TD’s. They have no other playmakers besides Best and Johnson. Also, not just saying this because I’m 49ers fan, but I just really don’t see anything wrong with Harbaugh’s hit on the back. The media and some ppl act as if it was a punch in the back. That contact was nothing and Schwartz just blew it out of proportion because he was upset they lost. If anyone needed to be fined it was him for his actions. Who does more fist pumping and jumping after his team wins besides Schwartz? Does he shake hands with the other coach before he celebrates? No he doesn’t. So if this so-called unwritten rule is to shake hands and then celebrate, why does Schwartz do the opposite? Get over it ppl!!

Another example of good ol’ Goodell looking out for the owners best interest. I’m sure Goodell made a call to the Ford and York families and ask what do you want me to do? They said “take it easy Roger don’t forget you work for us”.

So what you’re saying is: Head Coaches of a violent sport, a sport where YOU the media LOVE the fiery coaches, should act like ballerinas? Hey man if this is going to turn into golf, i’ll quit watching. Football is a man’s sport. Not a gentleman’s sport.

Really? This is a corporate apologist’s words. How many times a game to players jaw at each other, 10, 15 maybe?
Sure the coaches might be a bit embarrassed, but this is nothing but media hype BS.

If anything these coaches should be rewarded for bringing life to two down on their luck franchises. Very little was being said about these teams, even with their hot starts. So don’t apologise for me or any of us who are not ashamed to show emotion once in a while.

To Jim Schwartz: I don’t care if your competitive. Everyone wants to win. Keep your poise and composure. You bring stuff like this on yourself when you act the same way. Yelling at Dez Bryant in Dallas a few weeks ago comes to mind in particular. Quit mouthing off so much and just coach the friggin’ game. Stop trying to be the next Josh McDaniels.

To Harbaugh: You knew all too well what you were doing. Stop with the “my bads” and be a classy winner. You need to give Tony Dungy a call.

Unless you’re going to fine Harbaugh for being “classless” there is no crime on his part. Schwartz is the one who bumped him after he chased Harbaugh down the field. If anything, Schwartz should be fined. Does Rex Ryan get fined after all the stupid things he’s says and does? He’s much worse. Whoever wrote this article makes no sense to me. Harbaugh was excited. End of story. Who cares if he didn’t react the way you think he should of? Everyone is different. Schwartz is a big baby and a sore loser.

H-to-H hits on Cutler? What? The one that got called? Because other than that he barely got touched last night and had all day to throw. Maybe he should wear his red practice jersey or hell, even a dress. So stop whining about H-to-H hits on poor Cutler.

Forgiddaboutit, fer chrissakes. For 60 minutes 22 grown men have been trying to kill each other and that’s what people pay to see. Two creme puffs in a shouting match is hardly worth the League’s time. Let ’em lock up ~ its like the cartoon; it comes with the movie at no extra charge.

Why exactly should Harbaugh have been fined? He shook Schwartz’s hand and kept moving. It wasn’t all that much different than the typical Belllichickian post-game handshake. Should he have stopped and had a conversation with Schwartz? Harbaugh did nothing wrong other than “celebrate too much,” which clearly should not be fined. Stop trying to turn this into something bigger. The league got it right.

2) Jim Schwartz has a recent history of acting like a douche on the sidelines. Eg. the Dallas game, when he was taunting Detroit players (Dez Bryant) from the sideline. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYgKd17eNbM

5) Schwartz implied the 49ers deferred because they were afraid in the pre-game interview on the game’s live feed.

6) Schwartz very clearly taunted the 49ers from his own sideline when they threw the flag to challenge the unchallengeable TD. Again, clear on the game’s live feed.

7) Schwartz’ players were taunting on the field as late as the 49ers’ final drive, when they were in the red zone. I haven’t rewatched the game, but look for a good stop from Detroit followed by one of their players flexing his muscles for the camera.

Yes, Harbaugh was out of line. But people in glass houses should not throw stones. Schwartz got exactly what was coming to him, and overreacted like a nutcase. I’m sure beating the Lions felt amazing for Harbaugh, but beating their little s**t of a coach was the icing on the cake.

the 9ers are whipping teams weekly. give respect where its due, haters. 3-0 on the road vs Cincy, Philly and Detroit, all of which required 4th qtr comebacks. their only loss was in overtime vs a good cowboys team.

and looking at the rest of the schedule, they should go 11-5 at least.

They need to just plain do away with the insincere handshake and be done with it. One coach go one way and one coach go the other. They can Tweeter each other, Spacebook each other, or just plain send a card.

I’m not a far of either team but in my opinion, Harbaugh was completely classless and I don’t blame Schwartz one bit. Harbaugh was literally jumping in the air when he walked up to Schwartz, then smacked him on the back after the handshake. It’s one thing to be excited but when you go up to shake the opposing coach’s hand, try to keep your excitement in check…He only made matters worse in his post-game press conference sarcastically saying “I shook his hand too hard”. Harbaugh strikes me as an immature jerk.

Hey, I’m fired up about this. It gives the Lions a good rival for now. NFC North inter-conference has been weak..Bears were lousy at MNF, Vikings..and the Pack are a few steps ahead. Good to see 2 teams that have made it duking it out.

If the NFL is going to fine for the “handshake,” they first need to make it a penalty for one coach to taunt the other one during the game. Schwartz had no problem taunting Harbaugh during the game. That sounds like unsportsmanlike conduct.

Schwartz carries a smug look most of the time, and apparently has no problem with taunting frequently. It’s about time for him to man up and take some taunting. There were no punches thrown (which would be an entirely different matter), unless you mean a slap in the back and a hard handshake. But hey, this is football, not crew. Go home, have a beer, and get ready for your next opponent.

The NFL moved swiftly to resolve the Harbaugh-Schwartz fracas at Ford Field. The outcome suggests that the league wanted to swiftly sweep it all under the rug.

Precisely! That’s Goodell’s M.O. If the incident involves a big name or has achieved notoriety with the general public, he’ll fry the “offender” even if there’s no proof, no arrest, no charges, nothing. But if it’s relatively contained, he’ll do whatever’s necessary to make it go away before it becomes a public embarrassment. His interest is good PR–not doing the right thing.

I don’t care for either team, and both coaches were wrong. That said, I don’t care what was said, Schwartz was more wrong for escalating it to a physical confrontation.

But what’s so irritating is that the league will probably fine someone like A. J. Hawk 15-20k for a gesture that ill-advised but done without any malice, while these numskull head coaches – the ones that should be the most responsible for a team and its dignity – get off scot-free when they actually humiliate the league and resort to shoving to resolve petty differences.

Maybe the message the comissioner is trying to teach our children is that responsibility and accountability don’t apply to those at the top?

Folks the ONLY reason no punches were thrown is because players and coaches from both teams got in between both Schwartz and Harbaugh. They should have both been fined and suspended for UNPROFESSIONAL conduct. The coaches should be held to a much HIGHER standard then the players so you cannot compare any incidents between players. End of story.

Never been a fan of Schwartz and his antics. I’m fine with coaches showing a little excitement and emotion but both of these guys have crossed the line at one point and another this season..but Schwartz was a crybaby and a hypocrite yesterday. Schwartz definately has had some questionable moments including…cussing out Dez Bryant after winning a challenge at Dallas…to shouting MF after the win over the Vikes to the “know the rules” shout yesterday. He is one smug dude….just look at his press conference after the Dallas game …when he said he was glad he had Dallas’ third best receiver…I half expected him to pull out a wine glass and smell his own fart by the look on his face…he’s a d-bag.

I’m a Schwartz fan but he was def to blame. He instigated the whole thing and followed Harbaugh. Yea maybe Harbaugh was a little swift with the pat on the back but it was unintentional in the moment of victory and he walked away right after.

I’m just curious if it was written into the CBA, that Goodell was required to create his own salary through fines. I think the safety issues really have nettled with the sanctity of this game. Either, they are just writing about fines more or the commish is going overboard. There has been news every single week about fines. But, I don’t want to veer off course too much. No fines should have been issued in the Jimx2 scuffle. If anything, all it does is give a few sportswriters something to put on paper, like this post.

OMG! Schwartz may have heard an expletive? You have a coach who has his feelings hurt that he might have heard an expletive? His team was beat fair and square, despite penalities favoring his team, turnovers favoring his team, etc.

The classlessness was all Schwartz. He chased down JH and bumped him. The only thing JH did was express happiness in a tough win.

What did you want 4 game suspension? $50,000 fine? Players get into much worse pushing matches multiple times each game. Here, no punches were thrown by either coach. I think you are being a little harsh on the league and the coaches.
I think the NFL actually got this one right. It isn’t how they want their coaches to act, but there were no rules broken. Thus, they have acted quickly and are attempting to sweep it under the rug. Now it’s up to the coaches to do the same.

I’m not sure why people care whether or not they got fined. Who really cares. It was two men who had a verbal argument. Seriously, all these liberal yuppies need to just grow a pair and not get butt hurt so damn easy.

Sportsmanship is just loser talk anyways. Anyone notice how in sportsmanship awards usually go to the crappy teams? Hell if I was a coach in the NFL I would rather not shake your hand at all after the game, especially if I lost. Losers say thats poor sportsmanship, winners call it competitiveness.

the bluster between these two coaches seems – in the end – pretty harmless. as a fight, it wasn’t one. as a poor show of sportsmanship, it was mostly an overreaction. in the end it just creates a great rivalry between two teams that have turned the page and hopefully will meet in the playoffs. i’m glad the nfl is staying out of it.

Players do ten times worse than this on almost every play with no consequences, not even a flag, and you expect the league to fine coaches for this? Your obvious bias against the league front office is showing again.

Are you kidding me? imagine how much they would’ve fined Rodney Harrison for this. Fine Harbaugh, I have no problem with Shwartz for standing up for himself.

People want 1 thing from all 4 commissioners: Consistency. What’s a head-shot in the NHL? what’s an illegal hit in NFL? why aren’t there set amounts for fines? We have a guy hired by the owners, making a biased, personal judgement calls, giving out huge fines to “repeat offenders”. Goodell has a handfull of targets he can turn into repeat offenders every week. I just think Harbaugh, the rising star coach currently lifting a storied franchise from the ashes to greatness isn’t the right target right now.

I don’t get all the media attempts to equalize what the two coaches did. Harbaugh was a bit too giddy, for half a second. Schwartz, meanwhile, taunted Harbaugh earlier in the game, then chased after him, bumped into him, and yelled at him.

These things are not equal.

The point here, the point that the NFL should make for the sake of the millions of kids that watch is, is not that one has to be sportsmanlike at all times at all costs.

The point they should be trying to make is that it’s not okay to chase someone down and physically and verbally assault them over your idea of how unsportsmanlike they were.

The NFL missed the boat on this, big time, and left millions of kids with the reinforced message that you’re justified in “going after” someone if you think they disrespected you (after you insulted them earlier). It’s stupid and immature.

Schwartz is not ready for prime time, and it will come back to haunt them in the playoffs, if not sooner, mark my words.

You have got to be kidding, Lions fans. Swartz pumps his fist and jumps up and down after winning. He taunts and swears at opposing players on the field. He taunted Harbaugh during the game. And, his team spent the entire week trash talking the Niners while the Niners said absolutely nothing but respectful things about the Lions.

You think a former player, a guy who would rather sit in coach with his players than take his seat in First Class, a very excitable guy with loads of passion, is “classless” for jumping up and down after a hard-fought win in an incredibly hostile environment against a very, very good team??!! But, you don’t think your coach is “classless” when he calls opposing players names from the sideline…

WHATEVER! I hope the Lions have to come to SF for a playoff game. Maybe trash talking Suh will get more than 0 sacks and 2 tackles the next time. Maybe your line will be able to protect your QB the next time. Four guys rushing with no blitzes got 5 sacks! Nice job! Hope to see you in January.

i think its safe to say that you shouldnt mess with Jim Harbaugh. hes built the beast in the bay area and the rest of the league is on notice. when was the last time SF won 3 road games in a row? he has literally gotten the most out of everyone on the roster and some. look at all the draft picks performing and making an impact. Aldon Smith has got to be in the conversation for DROY. Culliver didnt allow 1 completion vs Megatron.

I am so sick and tired of all the “show more class” comments on here. Football isnt about having class. It isn’t about being nice to each other. Football is about one thing and one thing only which us winning the game. I have no problem with the way Harbaugh acted. A coach getting excited about a big win against the coach who said he couldn’t do it is enough to justify his actions. Schwartz should have just taken the loss like a man and moved on. Harbaugh didn’t push him away or say anything besides get out of my face.

I never really cared about anything in Detroit. Congratulations on becoming relevant again in the NFL. Schwartz comes off looking like a complete retarded douche. I now hate Schwartz to the point that I now have a reason for rooting against the Lions. i have really felt sorry for them until now. How could you possibly hate a team that was so inept they went 0-16? I guess the answer is when they hire a douche bag like Schwartz. Oh yeah I forgot to add that it will be a cold day in hell before I ever take football advice from a Lions fan (0-16 is the only argument I need).

The quandary for the league is there really isn’t an official protocol for the handshake. Harbaugh might’ve been too amped up when he shook Schwartz hand but he it’s not like he actually broke a rule.

The only one that could be feasibly fined is Schwartz because he was the one that escalated and chased after Harbaugh even when Harbaugh was trying to ignore it and get to the tunnel.

Also what about the double standard for the media?

You claim you don’t want children to see such a display of poor sportsmanship so why is this incident being talked about and played on every sporting network over and over and over and over again.

I actually watched the game live and Fox cut to the Boys vs Pats before the incident even happened but Fox was quick to do a game break on it. So basically nobody even would’ve seen this if it wasn’t for the media jumping on it like a pack of starving wolves with a fresh kill.

Schwartz may get animated on the sideline, but he keeps it contained during the post game handshake. Yeah, he might do his fist pump, but then he settles down and goes about his business while meeting with the losing/winning coach.

But hey, everyone can think he’s classless, root against the Lions, whatever…as a Lions fan, it’s nice having a team that’s the “bad guy,” for once. Go root for the Patriots…ooh, wait a minute, they’ve got that whole spygate thing. OK, root for the Packers…darn, middle fingers and dissing cancer patients. Well, more that I think about it, I guess if you’re an upstanding citizen of the highest moral order, then the NFL just isn’t your sport, is it?

This entire incident has been blown completely out of proportion, and PFT has had a prominent role in doing so.

Look, it’s not like any punches were thrown. You have two enthusiastic coaches of teams that have been cellar-dwellers for most (49ers) if not all (Lions) of the last decade. Both have turned their teams around and are looking to challenge for the NFC Crown.

So there’s a confrontation after the game? Over what? Harbaugh got a little over-enthused and the media acts like an all-out brawl took place, and that the league should be leveling fines.

Get over it all already. There wasn’t a brawl and not a single punch was thrown. There’s no story here, except what the media needs to fill up their programming.

downsouth49er says:
Oct 17, 2011 8:36 PM
People are just upset because the 49ers laid out the blueprint for how to beat the Lions. Smash it down their throat on the ground and take MEGATRON out his game, which is going deep and catching TD’s. They have no other playmakers besides Best and Johnson.
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you didn’t expose anything that everyone already didn’t know. Every team and their fans know that the Lions can’t stop the run.

and stop with the “Schwartz is a sore loser.” The man went 2-14 two years ago…I think he has plenty of experience losing.

I will say it again, a fist pump on your sideline is not the same as someone celebrating in your face. At least Schwartz pulls it together at midfield for the handshake.

Let’s move on….it’s too bad this is overshadowing a good football game. I can’t wait to hear about this next year.

The story coming up this am is the fued started during the game not after as it appeared.

Harbaugh threw the red flag on a Lions touchdown call. You can’t do that for touchdowns since they are all reviewed anyways and Schwartz took exception to it and started chiding Harbaugh for not knowing the rules.

Me thinks Harbaugh did shake his hand very hard to thank Scwartz for his sideline terade all day.

Lions coach fist pumps onto field two games his team comes back and trash talks to Harbaugh on the penalty for improper challenge and gets mad when someone talks smack to him. Sounds a little like I can dish it out, but I can’t take it.

I am not a fan of either team, and agree that the incident reflects poorly on both coaches, and agree that the NFL should have fined them both. That being said, I still would have supported Schwartz if he had punched Harbaugh in the nose.

There is a legal concept of “fighting words” or deeds that are such an unthinkable affront to a man’s dignity that a physical response is justified. I am not advocating assault as a means to settle one’s problems or differences, but Harbaugh was attempting to physically dominate and impose his will on an opposing coach, to “chump” him in schoolyard parlance. If you do that to another man, you should not be surprised if they haul off and hit you.

As a man, one of your responsibilities is to respect the manhood of other men. If you do not, all bets are off. Men used to duel to the death over less in matters of honor.